Naruto, in love?
by guardian xela
Summary: What happens when Naruto gets hit with a strange knockout gas that makes him fall inlove with Hinata? How does it affect everyone else? How will Hinata respond when he tells her about his love to her? What happens after? Rated T. NaruHina. Reviews, please
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1 **

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**Prologue**

"I've made it!!" exclaimed the scientist as his creation stabilized. "I've created the first knockout gas that works as a love potion!! It works!! I've done it!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

As he calmed down, he started to put the concoction in its carrying case and started to clean up, muttering to himself about being famous and making a lot of money from his invention. As he finished up, however, someone broke into the lab, startling the professor.

"Who are you?!" he demanded. "Have you come to steal my invention?!"

"No," said the person. "I'm here to use it!!"

The person threw down an object that gave off a blinding light that forced the professor to keep his eyes closed. When the light faded, the person was gone, as was the carrying case with the professor's creation.

"Oh, no, they've stolen the gas!! This is bad. It's still experimental, so who knows what its side effects could be?! I've got to get it back…no, wait. I better make an antidote, first. I only have the prototype to work on, but it's better than nothing…"

**Story**

It was a Saturday afternoon. Naruto walked out of the ramen shop, having enjoyed a nice bowl of ramen. As he walked out, he bumped into a girl with dark-blue hair and white eyes.

"Oh, hey Hinata," he said as he saw her.

"N-Naruto-kun," she said shyly as she looked down, blushing.

"You okay?" he asked her. "You're always blushing and all when you're near me. You sure you're not sick?"

"I'm fine," she said nervously.

"Okay, then," he said as he walked away. "See you later, Hinata."

He walked away, planning on training in the forest by himself. As soon as he got to the edge of the forest, however, some smoke screens exploded all around him. This smoke, however, was pink. This was no ordinary smoke. Instead of just making Naruto cough, he started to sway to and fro before falling on his face, knocked out.

"Ugh," he said as he started to wake up. "Where…am I?"

He was lying on a hospital bed, a familiar person standing next to him. At first, all he could see of them was their white skin and dark hair. After his sight was fully restored, he realized that it was Hinata. He noticed things about her that he hadn't realized before, like how beautiful she was.

"Hinata?" he said as he saw her.

"N-Naruto-kun," she said as she heard him, blushing as she looked at him.

"Where am I?"

"You've been in the hospital for three days."

"WHAT?!!!! THREE DAYS?!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!"

"You were hit by a knockout gas. Do you feel okay, Naruto-kun?"

"Well, I feel a little weird, like I'm in some dream or something. Other than that, I'm okay."

"That's good to hear," said a nurse who worked there. "I'm afraid that visiting hours are over. Luckily, however, you've been given permission to leave with her."

"Oh, thanks," he said as he got out of the bed. "Um, Hinata…I'll see you later."

"Hai, Naruto-kun," she said as she made a small bow when he left.

_Something's different about her _he thought to himself. _She seems so beautiful, and I've never noticed it. Her eyes, her face, her hair…wait…am I…in love with Hinata?_

**End of part 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

"Hinata…am I in-love with you?" he asked himself as he stood upside down, his feet connected to the tree branch via the no-hands tree climbing technique that allowed him to run up trees and other things with only his chakra focused into his feet. "If I am in-love, then why did it happen only now?"

"Hey!" yelled out Kiba as he came rushing towards him with an attack. "You gonna keep focused?!"

"Huh? Oh, shit!!"

He got out of the way at the last moment, only to get attacked by Akamaru in his beast clone form, sending Naruto flying into a nearby tree.

"Damn it, Kiba. I wasn't ready."

"You said you were about ten minutes ago," said Kiba as he landed next to him, Akamaru back to normal. "If this is how you're gonna be when you ask me to train with you, you can forget it. I've got better things to do. Next time, try to keep focused and _stay_ focused."

Kiba and Akamaru left Naruto, going to do their own training. Naruto sat up and thought about what Kiba said.

"He's right," he said to himself. "I've got to stay focused. But…how can I if Hinata keeps popping into my head?"

As Naruto continued training, he couldn't get Hinata out of his head, which made it hard for him to keep his focus, resulting in him hurting himself multiple times. Finally, when he couldn't stand it, he went to go see Hinata and to tell her that he was in-love with her. He went to her house and knocked on the door, which was answered by Neji.

"Oh, hey Neji," he said, disappointed that it was him who answered the door.

"Naruto," he said. "What do you need?"

"Um…I've, uh…I've come to see Hinata."

"Is it important? Well, even if it wasn't, she isn't here. Why?"

"Um…can you keep a secret?"

"That depends. Why?"

Naruto whispered what happened to him and how he was in-love with Hinata into Neji's ear.

"I see. Well, I'll keep it a secret. She's at the market, buying vegetables and other food."

"Thanks, Neji."

Naruto turned to leave when Neji grabbed his shoulder and turned him around so they were face to face.

"Listen well, Naruto. If you hurt her in any way, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, I'll make sure you pay. Understand?"

"Uh, sure, I understand. Heheh."

He left for the market, relieved that Neji didn't hurt him then and there, and at the same time scared of what he would do to him. He went to the market and searched for Hinata. As he did, however, some of the villagers who were of his age, a few years older or a little bit younger stared at him with interest, as if he was attractive.

"What's going on?" he asked himself as he realized that some of the other girls started to stare at him. "Why are they looking at me like that?"

"It's Naruto," said one of them. "Oh, he's so cute."

"I want to go out with him!" yelled another one.

"Huh?" he said as he heard that last one. "Okay, this is getting scary."

A group of girls went up to him, smiling at him and looking at him dreamily.

"Uh…I'll just be leaving now, thank you."

He backed away slowly, only to be surrounded by the other girls. He looked around frantically for an opening to escape through, but found none around him.

"Go out with me!" yelled one of the girls.

"Marry me!" yelled another.

"You're not taken, are you?" asked another.

"Okay, I'm out of here!!" he yelled as he made a few hand signs. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

In a huge puff of smoke, about a hundred or more shadow clones ran for it, the real Naruto somewhere in the crowd of escaping shadow clones. The crowd of girls started to chase the clones, searching for the real Naruto. Unfortunately for Naruto, some of them were ninja, so they had more chance of finding the real Naruto than did the other girls.

Meanwhile, the real Naruto had hidden in the ramen shop, disguised with a transformation jutsu as one of the other villagers.

"Close call," he said as he undid the transformation. "What was that all about?"

"Excuse me," said one of the other customers, an old man in a lab coat with gray hair that went down to his shoulders. "Did you happen to be hit with a pink smoke screen by any chance?"

"Huh? Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Did you feel that you've fallen in-love with someone afterwards?"

"Uh, yeah, I think. Why do you ask?"

"I knew it! Oh, I was afraid of that other side effect."

"What other side effect?"

"You were chased by those girls, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Whoo boy…I'm afraid that the pink smoke screen was a gas version of a love potion. Those girls chasing you were affected by it, and yet you search for only one particular girl, right?"

"Well, ye – WAIT!! How do you know about that?!"

"Well, I'm the one that-"

"THERE HE IS!!" yelled one of the girls as she pointed to the ramen shop. "THERE'S NARUTO!!"

"Uh oh," said Naruto as he saw the girls coming. "I better go! I'll see you later!"

"Wait!!" yelled the old man. "It's important that you listen!!"

Naruto, unfortunately for the old man, was already gone, running through the back exit and making more shadow clones, who split up and went in different directions. The real Naruto stopped in-front of a nearby alley that lead to the abandoned Uchiha sector of the village. He decided to hide in there for a while, when he bumped into none other that Hinata.

"Oh," said Hinata as she saw Naruto, blushing and looking away. "Hello, Naruto-kun."

"H-Hinata," he said as he realized who it was, his face blushing a little and his heartbeat increasing in tempo. "Um…there's something that I've been meaning to tell you."

"Yes?" she asked as she looked up at him, wondering what he had to say.

"I…well, I…um…"

He took a deep breath and said those three words that always changed someone's life forever.

"I love you."

**To be continued in part 3…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Hinata stared at him in shock, her knees feeling weak as she heard those three words.

"N-Naruto-kun?" she asked him. "You…love me?"

"Yes," he said to her, his hands on her shoulder as he looked down, somehow feeling bad. "I don't know why, but I've only realized it today. It was when I woke up in the hospital and you were there, next to me. I tried to convince myself that I was hallucinating and that it was nothing, but I couldn't get your image out of my head today, when I was training. Hinata…I love you."

He looked into her eyes and expected to see a happy expression. Instead, he saw tears in her eyes.

"Hinata?" he said. "What's wrong?"

"Naruto-kun," she said as she looked into his eyes. "I…I…"

She hugged him tightly, her face buried into his chest as tears of happiness rushed out.

"Naruto-kun!" she yelled out. "I've always loved you, Naruto-kun! From the moment I saw you at the academy, I've always loved you!"

She looked into his eyes, a smile on her face.

"I've always dreamed of this moment, Naruto-kun. I've always hoped that this would happen."

"Hinata," he said as he looked at her. "I…I didn't know…that…"

He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. When that kiss ended, he looked into her eyes, their faces slowly coming closer…and closer…

"What the hell just happened?" Ino said as she saw a lot of clones of Naruto run past her, followed by about half of the village's girls from ages 10 to 15 chasing after them. "Were those…Naruto's shadow clones? Something's up."

She decided to pay a visit to Sasuke, hoping that she would find him in the abandoned Uchiha sector, when she saw Naruto kissing Hinata. She just stood there, unnoticed and shocked, her thoughts racing through her head as she saw the couple kiss.

_Oh, crap!! Is this real?! Naruto...is kissing Hinata?!! _

A smile formed on Ino, one that meant that she was up to no good.

_Oh, this is just sweet. _

She crept silently out of the alleyway, about to spread the news of Naruto and Hinata.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said as their lips parted.

"Hinata," he said back. "Will you…be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun!" she said, a smile on her face as she hugged him again.

"Let's go," he said as he led her out of the alleyway, back to the village.

"Pardon me," said the old man from before when he appeared next to the alleyway's entrance. "May I have a word with you, young man?"

"Huh?" said Naruto. "Oh, it's you. What is it?"

"That smoke screen from before…I told you that it works as a gas form of a love potion. There's a danger to that, for it made those girls from before extremely attracted to you, and it affected the way they think."

"What do you mean?"

"THERE HE IS!!!" yelled one of the girls.

In about two seconds, all of those girls from before surrounded the three of them.

"Hey, he's got a girl with him!" yelled one of them. "It's that Hinata girl!"

"She's in the way," said another, sounding threatening. "She's in the way of me getting Naruto."

"Once she's out of the picture, Naruto will be ours," said another one, taking out a kunai.

"Uh, old man?" asked Naruto as he held Hinata close to him. "Is this what you meant by that gas being dangerous?"

"Exactly," he said. "You have to get Hinata out of here, immediately!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" he said as he made more hand signs, holding onto Hinata and the old man when he was done. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!!"

In a puff of smoke, hundreds of shadow clones of Naruto, Hinata, and the old man dispersed out of the area, the real ones running for Hinata's house, sneaking in through the back door.

"That was close," said Naruto as he sat onto the ground, relieved that they were safe.

"Yeah," said the old man, holding his chest. "Almost gave me a heart attack."

"At least we're safe," said Hinata as she lay her head onto Naruto's shoulder, her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

"Hinata?!" exclaimed Hiashi, Hinata's father, as he saw the three of them there. "What's going on?"

"Oh, father," she said as she saw him, fear on her face. "The three of us were chased by a group of villagers, and we had to hide."

"Hmph, a likely story," he said as he looked to the old man. "What really happened?"

"Well," he said, looking completely calm. "This young man was with your daughter and a few others, training to sharpen their skills, when they encountered me. You see, I specialize in making beautification items, like perfume and make up. I was assaulted by a group of girls who wanted my items for free. These two and the others defended me, and the girls called on back up. The others held them off, while these two brought me here so as to hide me."

"Hmm," Hiashi said as he thought about it. "I'll take your word for it…for now. You and Uzumaki can stay here until 10:00. When that comes, the two of you leave. Understand?"

"Yes," the two of them said.

"Alright. I'll leave the three of you alone."

He turned to leave, when he looked back at Naruto.

"Try anything on my daughter, and you'll never see the light of day again."

Hiashi left, Naruto and Hinata giving sighs of relief.

"You're good," Naruto said to the old man when he thought that Hiashi was out of earshot.

"I was once a story maker," he said to them. "It comes naturally."

"Well, we better stay in here until we have to leave," Hinata said. "Do the two of you wish to come to dinner with my family and me?"

"Sure," Naruto and the old man said.

"By the way," said the old man. "Call me Xela."

"Oh, sure," Naruto said. "Um…now what?"

"Oh," said a young voice. "You're back."

"Hanabi," said Hinata as she looked at her little sister.

Hanabi, however, was looking at Naruto. She looked at him with a small smile on her face.

"Hello, Naruto," she said, bowing.

"Oh no, not her, too," he said to himself.

"So, it's true," said another voice.

"Neji!" Hinata exclaimed as she saw her cousin. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"Let's just say that I have my sources."

He went close to Naruto, whispering into his ear.

"Don't forget the warning that I gave to you, Naruto."

"I won't," he said back. "Well, um…can the three of you give Hinata and me some privacy?"

"I wouldn't recommend that," Neji said. "Our Kekei Genkai allows us to see through solid objects. Hinata's father would kill you if he saw you and Hinata alone."

"Yeah, he said that to us," Naruto said.

"Well, there are others who want to talk to the two of you," Neji said. "They're outside, waiting for the two of you."

Hinata and Naruto followed him to the front door. As soon as it was opened, almost everyone that they knew was there, not including the village girls who wanted to kill Hinata.

"Wh-what's going on?" Naruto said.

**To be continued in part 4…**


	4. Chapter 4

**PART 4**

"Naruto, you sly dog," Jiraiya said as he clapped Naruto on the back.

"How did you do it?" asked Kakashi, handing him a gift-wrapped box.

"I'm so proud of you, Naruto!" said Iruka.

'I'm proud of you, Hinata," said Kurenai.

"Congrats," said Choji as he gave him an unopened bag of BBQ chips. "That's a congradulations gift. I was going to eat it, but then I heard about you and Hinata."

"Uh, thanks," Naruto said as he took the bag. "But, it's-"

"Naruto!" said Sakura as she gave him a hug, smiling and kissing him on the cheek sisterly. "You've finally reached the next level. Sasuke and I are proud!"

"Wait! You and Sasuke are together?"

"Got a problem with it?" asked Sasuke. "And I'm not as proud as Sakura says I am. But still, congrats."

"Yeah," said Kiba, who looked like he was resisting the urge to kill Naruto with great difficulty. "Congrats."

"Heh, thanks," Naruto said nervously. "But…who told you guys about me and Hinata?"

_I'll bet anything that it was Ino _he thought.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered into his ear. "I'd like some privacy."

"Yeah," he said. "Me, too."

"I'll help you there," Xela said to them.

Xela made a few hand signs and grabbed the two of them, giving off white chakra.

"Short distance teleportation jutsu," he said.

Next moment, the three of them were surrounded in a light that blinded everyone else. When that light faded, the three of them were gone. Everyone else looked around in disbelief. They soon dispersed in different directions to find them. Little did they know that the three of them were no longer in Konoha Village, but a little deeper…

"Huh?" said Naruto when they landed again, looking around him. "Where are we?"

"This, Naruto and Hinata, is what's left of the Hidden Sea Village of the country of Fire," Xela said. "To be exact, it's directly underneath your home village."

"Underneath…Konoha?" asked Hinata.

"Whoa," said Naruto. "But, where's everyone else?"

"Sleeping," he said. "There aren't many villagers left for this one. Our day and night system works differently than yours. Your day is our night, and your night is our day. It's kind of complicated to explain, so I'll leave it at that. The two of you should have enough privacy here, though."

"THERE HE IS!!!" yelled an all too familiar voice.

"Spoke too soon," Xela said as he turned around. "The exit is at the other side of the village from here. If you get there, you'll get back to Konoha."

"Right," said Naruto.

"What will you do?" asked Hinata.

"I'll distract them," he said, making more hand signs. "Ninja Art: Army of Illusion!"

Next moment, multiple Naruto's and Hinata appeared all illusions.

"I know all of the techniques of this village, and some of the Konoha ones, too. Get going!"

"Right!" said Naruto as he and Hinata ran for it, the illusions moving as well.

Within moments, the whole village was filled with Hinata's and Naruto's dispersing throughout the village. The girls from before tried to catch the real ones, only to catch illusions. To add more to the escape of Hinata and Naruto, Xela created multiple shadow clones that transformed into either Hinata or Naruto. Within ten minutes, the real Naruto and Hinata made it to the exit, waiting for Xela to come. When he did, they left quietly and unseen, arriving in Konoha. They snuck into the ramen shop and rested there, disguised as different villagers with a transformation jutsu.

"Close call," said Naruto. "But how did they find us in the underground village?"

"I'd like to know that myself," said Xela. "Not many people from Konoha know of that village."

"Except for me," said a female voice.

They froze and slowly turned to look behind themselves. Standing there was Lady Tsunade herself.

"Lady Tsunade," said Xela. "What brings you here?"

"Drop the disguises, guys," she said. "I know that it's you."

"How can you tell?" asked Naruto.

"The eyes, and your whisker-like marks are showing, Naruto."

"Oh," he said. "Thanks."

The three of them turned back into their normal forms. Teuchi, the man who worked at the ramen shop, along with his daughter, Ayame, appeared from the back of the shop, smiling at Naruto and Hinata.

"Congratulations," said Ayame.

"Heard about the two of you being found kissing," said Teuchi. "Congrats. As a gift, I'll give the two of you a free meal. No charge whatsoever."

"You mean it?!" said Naruto, excited.

"Of course!" he replied, handing the two of them two bowls of ramen.

"Yahoo!" exclaimed Naruto. "Thanks!"

"My pleasure," he said. "Of course, this is only going to happen once, unless you get married or something."

At this, Naruto spat out the noodles he was just chewing on, coughing hard.

"I'm not getting married yet!"

"I know that," he said, chuckling at Naruto's response. "You have to wait a few more years, Naruto. It takes time. You're at the first stage. Enjoy!"

"Thanks," said Naruto, hugging Hinata as he ate, Hinata blushing at his touch.

"Um, Lady Tsunade?" asked Hinata. "Who told everyone about Naruto and me being together?"

"I'm not sure of that myself," she said as she sat down and ordered a bowl of ramen with sake. "News like this can travel very fast, no matter what generation you're in. It was a little faster than this in my day."

"Always is," said Xela as he ordered his own bowl of ramen. "That shows you how times are changing. Back then, people were more superstitious."

He took the ramen and then, taking a bottle of hot sauce, poured in about half of it into his bowl of ramen, sprinkling in a little bit of pepper after that. Naruto, Hinata, and Tsunade just stared at him as he ate it without flinching or breaking a sweat.

"What is that supposed to be?" asked Naruto. "Death by Dehydration?"

"No, that's with red peppers and three-fourths of the hot sauce bottle," Xela said. "An old friend of mine came up with that one, though."

"Hmm," said Tsunade. "Who exactly are you?"

"I am Professor Xela Korbin," he said.

At this, Tsunade gasped.

"W-wait! _The_ Xela Korbin?!"

"That's me."

"Uh, Granny Tsunade?" asked Naruto. "What's so special about this guy?"

"His whole family was known for being specialists at chemicals and medical techniques. His great, great, great grand father was known as a specialist at poisons. He could recognize any poison, even if it was scentless and as clear as water. His grandmother was known as one of the best medical ninjas around, and her father was actually able to bring back the dead with both medical techniques and chemicals. And this man, Xela Korbin, is known for being able to make an antidote for any and all poisons, chemicals, and other medical items."

Naruto and Hinata just stared at him in awe, shocked at the news of the man next to them.

"Famous family," Naruto said. "Let's finish up our ramen so we can leave."

"I doubt that everyone's given up on finding the two of you," Xela said, chuckling.

After they finished their ramen, the four of them left the shop, walking down the street as they watched out for everyone else.

"Xela," said Tsunade. "I'll have to talk to you privately, if you don't mind."

"Of course," he said. "Naruto, I'll leave you and Hinata alone for now. See you later."

"Bye!" said Naruto as he and Hinata waved them goodbye. "Well, Hinata, what do you want to do now?"

"Well," she said, blushing a little. "I'd like it if we…had more privacy."

"What?" he asked, the realization of it taking some time to come before he realized it. "Oh…uh, well…I guess we could have some."

Before they even started walking, however, they were attacked. Smokescreens surrounded them, causing them to cough and get separated.

"Cough, cough," coughed Naruto. "Hinata, where are you?!"

"Naruto-kun!" cried out Hinata, followed by a scream.

"Hinata!! Damn it! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Next moment, a shadow clone appeared. The real Naruto held out his right hand as the clone channeled its chakra into his hand, while Naruto did the same, creating an indigo colored orb of swirling, concentrated chakra.

"Rasengun!" he yelled as he thrust the orb into the ground, the impact clearing the smoke away, revealing that Hinata was gone. "Hinata, where are you?!!"

"Naruto Uzumaki!!" yelled another voice.

Naruto looked and saw a masked ninja in electric-blue clothing standing on top of a building, holding a limp and unconscious Hinata in his left arm. Naruto was pissed.

"Who the heck are you?!! Give back Hinata!!"

"The Honorable Emperor Dokueki has ordered to bring her back to become his wife. Long live Emperor Dokueki!"

He ran for it, Naruto giving chase. As Naruto chased after him, his Kyuubi chakra began to kick in, giving him more speed and power as he chased after him. Soon, others started to chase after the man as well, including Kakashi, Neji, Hiashi, Sakura, and Jiraiya. Unfortunately, he stopped them with multiple tear gasses and other techniques. When they recovered, the masked ninja and Hinata were gone.

"DAMN YOU!!!" yelled Naruto.

"Calm down, Naruto!" demanded Kakashi. "We'll get her back."

"I know we will," he said, his chakra forming a tail and fox ears, his canine teeth becoming longer.

**To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Naruto, Neji, Kiba and his dog Akamaru, Sakura, Xela, and Kakashi rushed through the forest as they searched for Hinata. Among all of them, Naruto was the most determined, his Nine-Tailed Fox chakra no longer showing but still empowering him.

"Slow down, Naruto!" cried out Sakura. "We can barely keep up with you!"

"I don't care!" he yelled. "I'll leave you behind if I have to, but I'll find Hinata!"

"Naruto!" snapped Kakashi. "You'll need as much of your energy as you can reserve when we get there! Don't use it that much!"

After a pause, Naruto nodded in acceptance and slowed down long enough to let the others to catch up. Xela looked at him with concern.

_The gas seems to be a little stronger than I predicted _he thought. _Then again, that might just be him. Still, something about his Nine-Tailed Fox affected the effects of the gas. It may be the chakra, or maybe the way it influenced his personality. Or maybe…is it that power? No, it couldn't be! Still, this requires more looking into…_

"Hey, let's rest here," Kakashi said. "We've been going on for about two hours, so we need to rest and come up with a plan, as well as get more info."

"Info?" asked Naruto. "From who?"

"Yeah, from whom will you get your info?" asked Xela.

"You'll see," Kakashi said.

They stopped in a small clearing. Kakashi whistled and called out a name: "Pakkun!"

Next moment, a small pug in a blue sleeveless shirt and a ninja headband came out of the bushes.

"Kakashi," he said. "It seems that he's heading for the Land of the Whirlpool."

"Pakkun?" asked Xela, amazed.

"Hm? Oh, hello, Xela. Long time no see, you stubborn kid…or should I say stubborn old grandpa?"

"Hey, I'm not that old! I'm only in my early seventies!"

_Isn't that still considered an old grandpa?_ Sakura and Naruto thought.

"Early seventies?" asked Kiba. "Wow…you're pretty active for an old man."

"Don't call me old man!!" yelled Xela as he punched Kiba in the face with incredible strength for one of his age, sending Kiba flying into a tree, leaving an imprint on it.

Naruto, Sakura, and Neji stared in amazement at the act, Naruto's jaw and Sakura's jaw hanging open. Neji, however, merely looked shocked.

"I saw that your chakra paths and body were still in good condition," he said. "But still, how can one of your age still be able to have that strength?"

"Training my body was the answer," Xela said. "That and having a humanoid demon sealed inside of me helps."

Naruto was surprised at what he said.

"You have a demon in you, too?"

"Oh, yes. That's how I know of you, Naruto. I know a lot about the people who had demons sealed inside of them. One of them is currently living in the Village Hidden among the Clouds, while another is in the Village Hidden in the Sand. But that's enough about me. Pakkun, what else do you know?"

"He's trying to make it hard for us to track him down, even for a dog's sense of smell."

"That's where Akamaru and I come in," said Kiba. "Just lead the way."

Once more, they took up the chase, following the small pug. Xela caught up with Naruto and began to talk to him.

"Naruto," he said. "You do realize that you loving Hinata is only because of that pink gas, right?"

"Yeah, so?" he asked.

"That gas is of my creation. It was stolen from me and used on you. I have a bad feeling on who had it arranged, but I'm going to tell you this, Naruto: I'm making an antidote for the gas' effects. It will take away the effect of you loving Hinata."

"Why would I want to stop loving Hinata?"

"If you're not cured, you'll be afflicted by the other side effects, including a fatal cancer that can awaken any time."

Naruto remained silent at this, finally realizing the seriousness of it. Still, he felt that he just couldn't give up his love for Hinata so as to save himself from a cancer. He was in conflict with his feelings for Hinata and with logical reasoning. It was a case of the mind versus the heart.

"It won't be ready until we reach the Land of the Whirlpool. Speaking of which, how are we going to get there on time, Kakashi?"

"We're heading for a certain place that can teleport us there," Kakashi said. "We're almost there."

"What will we do, then? It's not like the ninja that took Hinata is already in the Land of the Whirlpool, right?"

"Where do you think that guy went to?" asked Pakkun. "He used that teleportation place."

"Oh," said Xela.

"Are there really places like that?" asked Sakura.

"They're rare and extremely old, but they exist," said Neji and Xela.

"I heard about those places," said Kiba. "They say that they served as transportation areas during the Ninja Wars, moving supplies and ninja instantly from one place to another."

"Only nine of them are left," said Kakashi. "Some say that it's because they were used to bring the tailed demons into this world, thus preserving them. Some have tried to destroy them, but they always died before they even got the chance. No one knows why, but witnesses claim that they're always attacked by beasts, all similar to the demons supposedly summoned in those places."

"According to legend," said Xela, "the demons placed curses and defenses on them, placing guardians there to protect them. Of course, this is just legend so far."

"We're getting close to the place," said Pakkun.

Naruto soon saw a huge clearing with a stone temple in the middle of it. It was at least five stories high, a long staircase leading up to the top of it. It had a total of nine stone pillars around it. As he got closer to it, however, a strange feeling began to stir in him. He thought that it was just his food. Little did he know that it was the Nine-Tailed Fox stirring as they neared the temple. There were a few people going up and down the stairs, almost all of them in robes. Along with that, Naruto was somehow able to sense that they were there for worship rather than having things teleported.

"That's the place?" asked Naruto. "A temple is used as a teleportation place?"

"All of those places were turned into temples for worshiping the tailed demons since it's believed that these places were where they were summoned," said Kakashi. "It's very hard to activate its teleportation ability. It requires one thing that the previous summoner had."

"How the hell are we supposed to use its teleportation function if we don't know what the trait was?!" yelled Kiba.

"I have an idea," Kakashi said.

They walked to the temple, greeted by the people as they passed by them. Some of the people were old people. Others were young adults. There were even kids who worshiped there. Sakura was greeted by a few teenage boys, some of them flirting with her. Sakura turned them down, telling them that she was taken. Kiba, on the other hand, was flirting with a few of the girls as they passed by. Some girls tried to flirt with Neji, only to be turned down. Naruto just stared at the temple, somehow feeling a familiar presence, like he was once there in his early life.

"This temple sure is huge," he said in amazement. "Who would have thought that the people here worship a demon?"

"He's more than just a demon," said a girl who heard him, dressed in a ritualistic robe, a ninja head band showing a flame with nine points on her head. "He's our god."

"Which demon is it?" asked Kakashi.

"Come and see it for yourself," said a man in a robe, looking around thirty or so. "Perhaps we can convert you."

"No thanks," most of them said.

"Let's go," Naruto said, determined to activate the teleportation function so as to save Hinata, as he started for the stairs. "We've got to activate that teleportation area."

"Another one," said the man. "You won't succeed."

"You don't have the trait," said the girl.

"Might as well try," said Naruto, a smile of confidence on his face.

He ran up the stairs, followed by Xela, then Kakashi, Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru, and then Neji. Naruto and Xela ran while skipping three steps so as to get there fast. They ran past other people in robes, most of who yelled at them to watch where they went. Finally, Xela and Naruto reached the top. Stopping to catch their breaths, they let the others join up with them.

"We've made it to the temple," said Kakashi. "Let's go inside and find the gate."

"The gate?" asked Naruto and Kiba.

"These teleportation areas consist of gates that allowed the summoned being to come out. In its dormant form, it looks like a stone ring set standing on the ground, ten feet in diameter. Once activated, however, it loses its physical form and becomes a gate of energy and light that can expand to any size. Once we find the gate, we'll be able to activate it."

Without hesitation, Naruto and Xela rushed in, making their way through a crowd of people. Naruto stopped suddenly, however, when he saw a huge statue of the demon. It was a nine tailed fox with fangs, claws, and eyes that seemed all-too familiar to Naruto.

"This…is the demon?" he stuttered.

"Yes," said the girl from before. "This is our god: the Nine Tailed Fox. We await the day when the one he is sealed into shall arrive in this temple and restore our god to his full power and might. That is why we pray here: we wish for his host to come."

Naruto just stared at the statue, the Nine Tailed Fox inside of him stirring even more, as if it was trying to warn Naruto, and Naruto sensed it. In fact, the fox said one word in Naruto's mind:

_Beware…_

**To be continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6 **

"You guys worship the Nine Tailed Fox?" asked Naruto, staring at the girl in shock and fear.

"Yes," she said proudly, looking at him with a mysterious smile. "Oh, how I'd love to meet the holder of the Nine Tailed Fox and be his wife!"

At this, Naruto and the others stared at her in shock, Naruto staring at her with both shock and fear as he slowly backed away from her.

"Damn," Kiba whispered to Neji. "She's dedicated, huh?"

"Very dedicated, indeed," Neji whispered back.

"Heheh…just out of curiosity, what would you guys do if you found the person who had the Nine Tailed Fox?" asked Naruto (a sweat dropping down the back of his head, anime style).

"Oh, we'd release the Nine Tailed Fox from within them," said the man, which made Naruto even more nervous. "Thus, he would once more become free to do as he pleases."

_Naruto_ said the Nine Tailed Fox in Naruto's mind. _These idiots don't know what they're doing. If they release me from your body, they'll kill you, which will kill me as well, because I'll still be linked to your life force. You have to keep them from separating the two of us!_

_I know that _thought Naruto. _That's why I'm not going to tell them about you being inside of me._

_It's not that simple, Naruto. The guardians that I placed upon the gate can sense my presence and the presences of the other tailed demons._

_Oh…well, what about humanoid demons?_

_Especially humanoid demons! Who do you think our main rivals were?!_

_Okay, okay! Sheesh, you're tense. _

"Um," said Naruto as he went to the girl and began to whisper into her ear, "what if that person is a girl?"

"We'll adopt her as my sister," she said, still smiling.

"We?" asked Kakashi. "What do you mean by 'we'?"

"We are all one big family, you see," said one of the older women. "That's how it is for us. We take in all people."

"I see," said Naruto, who came up with an idea. "Um, can you excuse us?"

"Certainly," the girl said as Naruto brought the group to a separate corner.

"What is it?" asked Sakura.

"Neji, can you see where the gate is?" he whispered.

"No," Neji whispered back. "I tried to, but this place makes my vision go blurry when using my Kekei Genkai. It must be the curses that the Nine Tailed Fox placed here if not some kind of jutsu."

"I have an idea, then," whispered Naruto, smiling at accomplishment that he just earned. "These guys worship the Nine Tailed Fox, right? Then…hold on."

He turned to the other people.

"Would you guys do anything that the person who holds the Nine Tailed Fox asks you to do before you separate it from that person?'

"Of course!" exclaimed one of them.

A smile came up on his face as he turned back to the group and continued whispering, Sakura saying that this was an accomplishment for him, Kiba asking who Naruto was and what he did with the real one. After some seconds, the group turned back to the worshippers.

"Would you guys believe me if I said that I held the Nine Tailed Fox inside of me?" he asked.

"Well, you would have to prove it, first," said an old man that came forward. "After all, many have come before you came, claiming that they held the fox within them, all of them lying about it. You are welcome to prove it, but there's only one way to do so."

"What is it?" asked Kakashi.

"You must defeat our guardian," said the old man. "Only then would you prove that you truly indeed hold our master within you."

"Lead the way," said Naruto.

The old man led them to a lower floor, the worshippers whispering among themselves. Some were speaking with hope; hope that Naruto truly held their master. Others were pessimistic. Some couldn't decide on what to believe about Naruto. The girl from before held Naruto's arm in affection; this scared him and made him really wish that it was Hinata holding him. They went down a stone passageway, descending down a few flights of stairs that were lit by torches stuck to the wall. After a while, the group went down another passageway, stopping at a dead end. In front of them at this dead end was a stone statue of the Nine Tailed Fox. It was about ten feet high, standing on its hind legs. It had its hands out, which were clawed. Its mouth, lined with fangs, was open threateningly. Its eyes were almost like the real Nine Tailed Fox's, except these set of eyes were empty. On its chest was a symbol of a flame with nine points on it, each point spread out so that it almost looked like a flower.

"Now what?" Naruto asked as he removed his arm from the girl's grasp.

"You must fight the guardian," said the old man. "Just go up to it and look into its eyes. If you really do hold our master, the guardian will awaken."

_If it's the only way we can get to that gate and find Hinata_ he thought.

Naruto went up to the statue and stared into its eyes. Almost immediately, the eyes lit up, becoming red. Small pieces of stone began crumbling off of its body as it moved. It stared into his eyes and smiled.

"So, you're the one who holds my creator," it said to Naruto. "Get ready for battle."

It began to give off chakra. It was a red chakra, demonic chakra. It was a chakra that felt familiar to Naruto.

"What kind of statue is this?" asked Naruto as he saw the event, taking out a kunai as he got ready.

Meanwhile, in a hidden castle somewhere in the Land of the Whirlpool, Hinata was just beginning to wake up. She lay on a bed that was extremely huge and comfortable. Around her was everything a princess about the age of 13 or 14 could want for her room, with the exception of pictures of boys. She woke up completely and looked around her, trying to remember what happened to her. The sun shone through a window onto her face, which felt good to her.

"Where am I?" she asked herself.

"Welcome," said a man's voice, "to my castle."

Hinata looked to the source of the voice and saw a man with red hair, a scar down the middle of his face, and eyes that seemed familiar to her: an electric blue left eye and a sea green right eye. His clothes were that of royalty, mostly red except for his black cape. He looked like he was 17 or 18. Hinata used her Byakugan and saw that he was someone who uses jutsu. A shinobi.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the master of this castle," he said. "You, madam, are a lucky lady."

"I am? How am I lucky?"

"I have chosen you to become my wedded wife."

"What? Me, married to you?"

"That's right, Hinata. You shall be my wife."

_Naruto-kun _Hinata thought. _Where are you? Please, help me!_

**To be continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

"Damn," said Naruto as he got up from being slammed into the ground. "That's a pretty strong statue."

He looked to the guardian statue, which had pieces of itself broken off from the battle. It was surrounded in red chakra similar to Naruto's. Everyone stood near the door, watching the battle rage on.

"Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura. "Why doesn't Naruto summon the chakra of the Nine Tailed Fox?"

"Well," he said, "from what I can figure, he has to ask the demon for the chakra."

"Exactly," said Xela. "It's the same with a few of the other holders of the demons, including humanoid ones. I should know. The one inside of me is the rival of the one inside of Naruto, and I have to ask it for chakra. That is, if I'm not in danger of dying or if my emotions aren't at their extreme."

"I've noticed that," said Kakashi. "I first sensed it at the bridge, for his first C ranked mission. He thought he saw Sasuke get killed."

"That would explain it," said Xela.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on," said Kiba. "Naruto gets his chakra from the fox? I thought he was just going to lie about that."

"I also saw it," said Neji. "It was during the Chunin exams. He summoned that red chakra, even though I blocked off his chakra from being used. It…scared me a little."

_Whoa_ thought Kiba. _Anything_ _that can scare Neji like that must be powerful._

"AH!" yelled Naruto as the guardian punched him in the stomach and sent him flying into the ceiling, knocking him out.

"Naruto!" cried out Sakura as he fell towards the ground, the guardian ready to launch the final blow.

_You stupid boy _said the Nine Tailed Fox. _You're giving me no choice. I'll lend you my…wait. Something's wrong. It feels different, like there's another being in here. It doesn't matter. I have to save the boy! _

Naruto opened his eyes, which went from blue to red, his pupils now black slits. His whisker marks became darker, his wounds beginning to heal, his nails now claws and his canine teeth now fangs. This time, however, something else changed. His hair became lighter in color, his muscles expanded a little, and his chakra turned to a shade of dark pink.

Instantly, Naruto began to attack the guardian with a lot of strength, his claws tearing through the stone statue. His eyes showed pure determination in defeating the guardian so as to find Hinata. It didn't even occur to him that something was different.

"Something's wrong," said Kakashi. "This doesn't normally happen when Naruto summons the chakra of his inner demon. The chakra is supposed to be red, not pink. Neji, can you look?"

Neji had already activated the Byakugan and was looking inside of Naruto to see what was wrong.

"His chakra is giving more strength than it's supposed to," he said. "It's not just the demon, though. There's something else giving him power and chakra."

_It must be from the gas_ thought Xela. _Even so, it's not supposed to give this much. Come to think about it, I never made it so that it would increase his strength and chakra. Something has gone terribly wrong! _

"Take this!!" yelled Naruto as he lunged at the guardian, his right hand holding a blue orb of chakra. "Rasengan!"

As the orb made contact with the guardian, the orb became red and expanded to about five yards in diameter, utterly destroying the guardian and most of the room. Everyone else looked at him in awe. Some also looked in praise. Others looked in jealousy. Some, however, looked in fear, including Kakashi, Xela, Sakura, Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru. Naruto stood where the guardian once was, looking down at what was left of its face.

"I beat you," Naruto said to it. "Now where's the gate?"

"It's where I was standing before I woke up," it said. "Before you go, boy, I wish to ask you something important."

"I'm listening."

"Have you not noticed that you had much more strength than you normally would have when you summoned the chakra of my creator? In fact, look at your own chakra. Is it not different?"

"Huh?" Naruto said as he looked at the chakra around him. "It is. Normally, it's red. Now, it's pink…what's going on?"

"You have been given another power," it said. "Beware its effects. Although it may give you power, it will come with a cost, just as all powers come with a cost. Beware…"

It went silent, crumbling into rubble. Naruto stared at it, pondering about what it said. Everyone else got near him, careful to leave him some space. His team mates were lost for words, not sure on whether to either congratulate him or to ask him what had happened.

_Something's wrong_ he thought. _What's happening to me?_

Meanwhile, in the of the Land of the Whirlpool, a man looked into a crystal ball, watching the events that took place in the temple of the Nine Tailed Fox with a wicked smile on his face.

"It seems that the gas is working in my favor," he said. "Soon, I will have the power of that demon, as well as the hand of Hinata Hyuga. I'll kill two birds with one stone."

**To be continued…**


	8. Chapter 8

"Ugh," said Naruto as he woke up, slowly rising off of the ground as his body stung in pain. "What happened?"

The memory of Hinata being captured sent a jolt through his body, waking him up completely. Unfortunately, it also caused his pain to intensify as he got up. He gripped his neck as it stung, feeling stiff. He looked around and saw that he was in a room of some sort, with a soft bed, a bathroom, a desk, and a door leading out to a hallway.

"Where am I?" he asked as he sat back down on the bed. "Last I remember, I gave the Nine Tailed Fox permission to take over so he could open the gate. After that…I blacked out."

"Oh," said a female voice. "You're awake."

He slowly turned his head to look at the person. A teenage girl no older than fourteen stood at the doorway. She wore a black kimono, had black hair tied in braids, white skin, a thin, feminine build, and eyes as blue as the winter moon. It was her eyes that caught Naruto's attention. As he stared into her eyes, he sensed something that felt vaguely familiar. Soon, however, he saw his own face reflected in those eyes. It caused him to look away for some strange reason.

"Hi," he said, still looking away.

"Good morning," she said, bowing.

"Yeah, good morning. What's your name?"

"Yugina," she said. "I took care of you while you were sleeping and injured."

"Oh. Thank you, Yugina-san."

"I didn't do much. Your body was healing very quickly."

"Yeah, it has a tendency to do that. All I need is a good night's sleep. After that, I'll be fine. Oh, I forgot. My name is –"

"Naruto," she said. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto stared at her for a minute, shocked.

"You know my name?"

"Yes, I do. You're –"

"Naruto," said Kakashi, standing behind Yugina. "You're awake. Everyone else is in the lobby."

"Thanks, Kakashi Sensei," he said as he got up, rubbing his neck. "I'll see you later, Yugina-san."

He left the room and followed Kakashi. He found Xela meditating next to the door, Kiba having an argument with someone over Akamaru, Sakura drinking tea and sitting in a chair, and Neji leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

"Hey, guys," Naruto said. "Where are we?"

"We're in the Land of the Whirlpool," said Neji. "We're going to stay in this inn until we find Hinata. In the meantime, we're going to find more info on Emperor Dokueki. We may find some clues of where he's keeping Hinata."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Naruto. "Let's go!"

"Hold on, Naruto," said Xela as he got up. "Do you have any idea of where to start looking for info?"

Naruto remained silent, completely stumped.

"I thought so. You and I can go look in the library. There may be some info on Dokueki there."

"Neji and I can ask some of the villagers," said Sakura.

"Kiba, you and Akamaru try to pick up Hinata's scent," said Kakashi. "I'll see what I can do. We'll meet back here in two hours."

"Right," everyone said before leaving.

_**Two hours later… **_

Kakashi stood in the lobby, reading his book "Make out Paradise", when Sakura and Neji came up to him.

"You find out anything?" asked Kakashi as he closed his book.

"He's supposedly just a myth," said Sakura.

"What about you?" asked Neji.

"Nothing," said Kakashi. "Let's wait outside for Kiba and Akamaru. I have a feeling that the inn's manager is going to have a problem with Akamaru."

They walked outside and waited for Kiba and Akamaru. Ten minutes passed before the boy and his dog came, looking disappointed.

"Any luck?" asked Kakashi.

"No," said Kiba. "We couldn't find her scent."

"That leaves Naruto and Xela. Hopefully they've gotten some information."

"Hey," said Sakura. "Isn't that Naruto over there?"

They looked and saw Naruto. He was running for his life, screaming while being chased by a mob of excited girls that wanted him. From what Kakashi could see, he held a huge book in his hands as he ran.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Naruto cried out.

The group ran back inside the inn so as to get out of the way. Naruto ran past them, followed by the huge mob of girls chasing after him.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he yelled as he made hand signs, careful not to drop the book.

About seven shadow clones were made, all of them scattering throughout the village. The real Naruto hid in a ruined house, waiting for the girls to pass by without finding him.

"Phew," he said as they passed by him, out of earshot from him. "That was close."

He relaxed as he began to catch his breath. Soon, his eyes became heavy. After that, he fell asleep. He began to dream. In the dream, he was standing just outside of the inn, his body transparent, yet still visible to himself. He looked at the inn. It looked brand new. The whole village was different.

"Whoa," said Naruto. "This is weird. At least no one can see me, especially the girls."

"Hey, Kushina!" cried out a boy's voice. "C'mon! We've got a mission to complete!"

"Quit complaining!" cried out a girl's voice from the inn. "I'm coming!"

Naruto turned and saw a red headed tomboy run out of the inn and straight through him, not noticing him.

"Okay," he said. "That was weird. Then again, this is a dream."

"What took you, Kushina?" asked the boy from before, a brown haired twelve-year-old with a small muscular build.

"Hey, I had things to take care of," she said, lightly punching him in the arm.

"Always have something to do," he said. "Don't you, Uzumaki?"

This caught Naruto off guard.

_Hold on, did he just call her Uzumaki!!?_

Everything around him became surrounded in a bright flash, blinding him for a moment. When the flash ended, he was no longer standing in the village. Instead, he was standing in a long hallway, its walls filled with pictures and designs. There were electric lamps shaped like candles on the wall, unused due to the sunlight from the windows on the left side wall.

"Now, where am I?" Naruto asked himself. "Is this a castle?"

"Not quite," said a female voice.

Naruto turned around, hearing the voices of two girls from the next hallway. Forgetting that no one could see, hear, or touch him, he quietly snuck closer, hiding behind the wall, to get a better look at them and to hear them. He looked at their reflection in a nearby mirror that showed both girls entirely. As far as Naruto could see in the reflection, both girls were sitting across from each other at a ridiculously long table.

"What do you mean 'not quite?'" asked one of them; a girl with long brunette hair that went down to her hips and glasses.

"That guest of his won't agree to marry Emperor Dokueki," said the second one, a girl with shoulder-length black hair and crimson eyes. "She says that she's in-love with someone else. It's such a shame, Jintai."

"That's true, Rika," said the brunette. "After all, almost every girl wants to marry him and be his…well, except for those already married."

"We may have to…er, persuade the guest to marry the emperor."

"How will we do it? What's your plan?"

"I happen to know the name of the one she's in-love with. I also happen to know that he, and a group of ninja he's traveling with, is in the village. I just have to find them and take the guy, if not all of them, as a hostage. That should convince her."

"You really are smart, Jintai. By the way, what's the name of our guest, again?"

"I told you, her name was Hinata."

_Hinata _he thought. _She's here! I've got to find her!_

"She's in her room, right?" asked the brunette.

"Yeah, she is," said the other girl. "She's in the one with the slash marks on the door."

Taking that into mind, Naruto rushed through the hallways, finding the door with slash marks.

"All these doors look the same," he said as he turned down a hallway. "Where's that slashed up door?"

As soon as he finished that question, he was at the end of the hallway, facing a severely damaged door, its surface slashed up so much that it looked like it would collapse from someone knocking on it.

"This is it," he said. "I'm coming, Hinata."

He reached out for the handle and was surprisingly able to touch it. As soon as he did, however, the door's slash marks shone extremely bright light, blinding him and consuming everything around him. Three seconds later, he was falling, falling through the endless light, screaming.

"HINATAAAAAAAA!!!!"

"Ah!" he gasped as he woke up, breathing heavily and sweating. "Just…a dream."

He looked at his hands for a moment, thinking about his dream.

"First, there's that girl…Kushina Uzumaki. Then, there are those two girls…Rika and Jintai…what does it all mean?"

He clenched his hands into fists and got up, picking up the book.

"Whatever it means, it better have something to do with saving Hinata. I swear that I'll find her…BELIEVE IT!!!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

"Okay," said Kakashi as he and the others sat down in the lobby. "What did you and Xela get, Naruto?"

"A book speaking of the history of this place," said Naruto as he sat on the floor. "There's about two chapters worth of that emperor guy. He's supposedly a demon ring leader."

"Demon ring leader?" asked Kiba. "No wonder he was called a myth. When was he born?"

"Sometime in the last fifty centuries, I think."

"5000 years ago?" asked Sakura. "That can't be right. Let me see that book."

Sakura took the book and started looking through the pages.

"That's fifty years ago, Naruto," she said.

"Oh," said Naruto. "Sorry."

"Say, where's Xela?" asked Neji.

"Dunno," said Naruto. "We got separated when those girls started chasing me."

"We better find him," said Sakura.

"No…need…Sakura-chan," said a familiar voice.

"Huh?" said Naruto as he turned around. "WHAT THE?!! XELA?!!!"

Xela was worn out, lip stick kiss-marks on his face. His front and back sides were covered in foot prints. He was sweating severely, breathing heavily, and looked scared.

"What happened, Xela?" asked Kiba as he sniffed. "You got attacked by girls or something?"

"Old women, to be exact," said Xela, shuddering at the memory. "At first, those girls who chased Naruto stampeded over my body. I didn't receive as much damage as a normal old man would. After that, I headed back for the inn. Next moment, a small group of old ladies comes up to me and starts flirting with me. They dragged me into a house with surprising strength. It took me fifteen minutes before I could get away."

"Well, aren't you supposed to be flirting with girls of you own age?" asked Naruto.

As soon as he finished that sentence, a kunai appeared, struck into the floor, between his legs, yet not hitting him. This scared Naruto and caused him to fall on his back in fear.

"I dare you to say that again," said Xela, clearly angry. "In case you haven't noticed, Naruto, I'm married."

"You are?" asked Sakura, a little excited. "Who's your wife?"

"Her name is Mitsukai, and she's currently traveling the world."

He gazed out of the window, smiling as he got lost in his memories.

"But enough about my life," he said, returning to reality. "According to some documents I found in the library, Emperor Dokueki is a real person. He lives in a hidden castle that's definitely in the Land of the Whirlpool. Some say that it's in the mountains. Others say that it's underwater. Some say that it's suspended in the air. In either case, everyone agrees that it's definitely hidden."

"What else did you find out about him?" asked Kakashi.

"He's was once a medical ninja. He also specialized in using Dark Chakra."

"Dark Chakra?" asked Naruto. "What's that?"

"It's a powerful category of chakra," said Kakashi. "It's also very rare. It can be used to control the powers of Darkness, as well as increase your strength and powers by twenty-fold. The downside is that it's dangerous. Unless you have a certain Kekkei Genkai, it will corrupt your thinking and make you go mad if you use it for too long. Like the name says, it has a dark color, usually black. Sometimes, it takes on the form of either snakes or scorpions."

"Right," said Xela. "It's also very easy to trace in terms of scent. A dog can smell it and follow it very easily. This is where you'll be needed, Kiba. Once you smell it, you'll feel a shiver travel down your spine, and you'll feel scared, at least for a little while."

"That happened earlier," said Kiba. "Akamaru and I were searching for Hinata's scent when we smelled a certain scent. It's hard to describe, but I did feel scared for a bit."

"Can you and Akamaru find the scent again?" asked Xela and Kakashi.

"We can try."

"That's settled, then," said Kakashi. "Once we find the scent, we'll be able to trace where the castle is."

"Then we'll find Hinata," said Naruto. "While I'm at it, I'm going to whip this guy's ass for kidnapping Hinata. Mark my words."

As soon as he finished those words, all of the windows broke and shattered as dark figures broke in. They threw tear gas bombs all over the place, making it hard for everyone to see and breathe.

"Cough, cough," coughed Naruto. "Not again! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Naruto created a shadow clone and created the Rasengun, which started to clear the gas.

"Rasengun!"

He slammed the orb into the ground, clearing away all of the gas.

"Everyone okay?" asked Kakashi.

"Yeah," said Naruto.

"I'm okay," said Sakura.

"Same here," said Neji.

Akamaru began to bark madly, as if he knew something was wrong.

"Say, where's Kiba?" asked Naruto.

_**To Be Continued…**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

"You fricken idiot!!" yelled Rika as she punched Jintai in the face. "The boy we needed to capture was the blond kid with whisker marks, not this stupid kid that smells like dog! How could you have made that stupid mistake?!"

"Hey, why don't you try wearing those gas masks?!" shouted Jintai. "Do you know how hard it is to breathe with those things on, let alone see through those things clearly?! Cut me some slack, Rika!!"

"That's no excuse for your mistake, you stupid-"

"SHUT UP!!!" yelled a male voice.

The two girls came looked and saw a very irritated Emperor Dokueki.

"Emperor," said both girls as the bowed, kneeling on the ground and placing their faces all the way to the ground.

"Rise from the ground, girls. Your argument gave me a headache."

"We are very sorry, Emperor-"

"No need for apologies, Rika. Jintai, your mistake isn't too bad. After all, it can work in our favor."

"It can?" asked Jintai. "How?"

"They'll use their dog and follow the boy's scent. We'll let the host with the Nine Tailed Fox come to us. Once he's here, he'll see the wedding, get mad, unleash the creature's chakra, and then be vulnerable to the weapon. A simple plan, yet perfect."

"Brilliant, Emperor Dokueki!" praised Rika.

"You deserve the credit for this one, Jintai," said the emperor.

"Oh, Emperor," said Jintai, blushing. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said.

"But what about the boy we captured?" asked Rika.

"Don't worry," he said. "He's…preoccupied at the moment."

_**Meanwhile, in another room…**_

"Ugh," said Kiba as he woke up, his hands in chains. "Where am I?"

"Welcome," said another voice. "Welcome to your new home."

"Huh? Who's there?"

Figures in the shadows started coming closer to Kiba. Soon, he was able to tell who they were.

"No! This is impossible! This can't be-NOOOOOO!!!"

In another room far away from where Kiba was, Hinata, staying in her room since she didn't want to be married to the emperor, heard Kiba's scream and shuddered.

"Kiba," she said. "He's here."

_**To be continued…**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Neji, and Xela raced after Akamaru as he followed Kiba's scent. They were already in the forest area and had started only 25 minutes ago.

"They moved pretty fast for kidnappers," said Naruto. "Is it this far?"

"Probably farther," said Xela. "Just keep going."

"Right," said Naruto. "Neji, can you see anything ahead?"

"Only trees," said Neji, his Kekei Genkai activated.

"Let's keep moving," said Kakashi.

Suddenly, they were attacked by ninja in black. The black clad ninja threw so many shuriken that it might as well have been rain from a storm. Before the shuriken even reached the Leaf Village shinobi, however, they were being knocked out of the air, like something was hitting each individual shuriken.

"What the?" said Naruto as he saw the feat.

"Secret Jutsu," said Xela. "Chakra Barrage, unleash."

Suddenly, the black clad ninja were being hit by invisible forces, as if some invisible group was constantly punching them, hard. One minute had barely passed before all of them were on the ground, out cold.

"What was that?" asked Naruto.

"A Kekei Genkai from my dad's side of the family," Xela said. "Basically, it allows me to take chakra and to have it swirl around me in multiple streams, which strike anything in their path. I trained myself to actually have them hit particular targets, like those shuriken. It also acts as a barrier technique."

"Neji?" asked Sakura as she looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"That technique…it revealed something," said Neji, the Byakugan still activated. "Xela, can you use that secret jutsu again?"

"Sure," said Xela as he used it again, hitting a few twigs and branches in the trees. "What is it?"

"It's clearing away certain illusions that I couldn't see through with my Byakugan. I can see the castle. It's actually thirty feet from here, southwest from where we're standing."

"Xela, can you use that jutsu while moving?" asked Kakashi.

"Yeah," said Xela.

"Let's get going, then."

They followed Neji as he led them to the castle. Once they were there, they stared in awe. It was huge, about 8 miles wide and 10 miles high from the ground up. It was white, had a huge courtyard, and was quiet.

"It's too quiet," said Xela.

"They're probably waiting for us," said Sakura.

"What's wrong with Akamaru?" asked Naruto.

The dog was sniffing left and right, whining worriedly.

"I'm going to guess that Kiba's scent has been hidden," said Xela. "Neji, can you see into the castle?"

"No," he said. "Something's keeping it from being seen through by my Byakugan. It might be a jutsu."

"We'll just have to be careful, then," said Sakura.

"Let's go," said Kakshi. "Proceed with caution and keep your guard up."

"Right," said the rest of them.

As they ran in, traps of every kind were triggered. Pieces of the ground rose up like lids and began to shoot out kunai, shuriken, arrows, spikes, cannon balls, and other kinds of ammunition; blades came out of nowhere and began chopping at the road; poles rose out of the ground and shot cables at each other, blocking the path, and became electrically charged; huge statues came to life and went on the offense, wielding different weapons; fierce creatures were let loose from hidden cages; soldiers came out, armed with a wide assortment of weapons, and attacked; black-masked ninja came out, unleashing different jutsu. All in all, that place had, to say the least, heavy security.

"Whatever happened to just sirens and guard dogs?" asked Xela as he made the hand signs for Ram, Dragon, Snake, and Tiger. "Ninja Art: Youth Rejuvenation!"

His body began to become younger and younger until he looked like a thirteen-year-old, the lab coat now covering his feet and the rest of his body. The sleeves were too big for him, 5 inches of the sleeves now past the tips of his fingers. 4 inches of the bottom of the coat lay on the ground. Because the lab coat was buttoned up, it covered his legs. His gray hair was now crimson with streaks of silver, as short as Naruto's hair. He had a slash scar down the right side of his face, going from his right eyebrow down over his right eye to the middle of his cheek. His eyes, which had previously been dark gray, were now two different colors. The left eye was electric blue and the right eye was sea green. On his cheeks were six thin whisker-like marks, three per cheek.

"Whoa," said Naruto. "You can change your body's age?"

"Tsunade isn't the only one who can change her looks and keep it like that," he said with a younger voice.

Xela took off the lab coat, revealing a brown, tattered hooded cloak that extended to his ankles, a straight guardless katana, and ANBU Black Ops clothing. He had a lower-face mask just like Kakashi's, one that stopped below the eyes. On his head was a Konoha ninja headband.

"I thought you said you were from the Hidden Underground Sea Village?" said Sakura.

"Doesn't mean I was born and raised there," said Xela. "Let's rock this joint."

"Let's go!" shouted Naruto.

All of them charged towards the castle, attacking people, statues, and animals along the way. Kakashi unleashed the Water Dragon Jutsu from nearby fountains as he used the Sharingan in his left eye. Sakura used explosive tags connected to kunai and shuriken, as well as smashing the statues with immense strength.

"What the?!" exclaimed Naruto as he saw Sakura use her super-human strength. "When did you learn how to do that?!"

"It's something Tsunade-sama taught me, along with medical ninjutsu. I was hoping I could keep it a secret until I finish my training."

"Crap," said Xela, crushing the top half of a giant statue. "She's like a mini-Tsunade. She's practically a -"

He was kicked into the air by the legs of the statue he smashed in half, now 12 feet in the air. Four regular-sized statues of warriors, each with a battle axe, jumped towards him and ready to cut him down to size.

"Xela!" cried out Naruto.

As if Naruto's voice triggered it, something about Xela changed. He opened his eyes, which were now bright yellow with black slits for pupils. His hair started to stand up a little. He pulled down his face mask, revealing elongated canine teeth and thicker whisker-like marks. He made a single hand sign, took a deep breath, and released a roar so powerful that it shattered the four incoming statues and created a crater on the ground below him. Once he finished the roar, he took his sword and actually flew straight at a grouping of statues and ninja like a bullet, barely even a blur to the naked eye. He appeared on the other side of them in a split second. He then sheathed his sword, stopping at the part of the sword two inches away from the part connected to the handle. As soon as he fully sheathed the sword, the statues crumbled and the ninja bled from cut-off arms.

"What is he?" asked Neji as he used the Byakugan to see into Xela's chakra tunnel system. From what he could see, Xela's whole body was filled with yellow chakra. He saw it take the shape of a humanoid creature's head.

"This is the power of my inner demon," said Xela. "This is the power…of the Nine Tailed Demonic Warrior."

"Nine Tailed…Demonic Warrior?" asked Naruto.

_I see_ said the voice of the Nine Tailed Fox in Naruto's head. _Sealed inside of that man is my old rival._

_His demon is your rival? _responded Naruto.

**To be continued…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 12 (This part is to answer those questions about where Hiashi, Sasuke, and all the others went. Hope you enjoy!)**

"Where the heck do these guys keep coming from?!" asked Naruto as he smashed a statue against a tree.

"I'd like to know that myself, Naruto," said Xela as he kicked a guy into a fountain and performed a freezing spell on him. "He's probably summoning them."

As soon as he said the word 'summon,' thousands of black-clad ninja appeared from puffs of smoke.

"You just _had_ to say summon, didn't you?" asked Naruto. "How are we supposed to defeat them if, I dunno, one THOUSAND MORE NINJAS AND GUARDS TAKE THEIR PLACE?!!"

"Well, when I think about it, these remind me of a special kind of clone jutsu. If you defeat most of them, more take their place automatically."

"That would be helpful," said Sakura as she punched a guy halfway across the courtyard. "There's only one problem: these guys don't disappear like normal clones."

"Same for the clones I'm talking about. They can only disappear if you destroy them all at once. Best way to do that is with fire."

"Someone say fire?" asked a familiar voice. "Fire style: Demon Tail Flame Jutsu!!"

Next moment, pillars and twisting lines of flame hit every black-clad ninja there, causing them to disappear. Next came flying pieces of statues smashed off of the live statues, along with most of the animals being thrown over them. Several toads the size of a three-story house began to smash whatever and whoever was left of the guards. Naruto looked and saw Jiraiya on top of one of the toads.

"The pervy sage?" he asked himself.

He and the others looked behind them and saw Sasuke, Hiashi, and Lee fighting the rest of the guards there.

"Sasuke!" said Sakura as she hugged Sasuke and kissed him on the lips.

"Hey, Sakura."

"Where've you been?" Naruto asked with a smirk. "We were starting to miss you guys."

"We had a hard time convincing the Hokage to let us follow you guys," said Sasuke as he threw multiple shuriken at an animal.

"Where's my daughter, Uzumaki?" Hiashi asked as he thrust a guy in the chest with a Gentle Fist technique.

"She's in the castle," he said as he created shadow clones.

"Allow me to ask you something: what the hell are you still doing here if you know where she is?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Huh?"

"Naruto," said Lee. "As much as I respect you, you're a complete idiot. Your mission is to rescue Hinata. Fighting these guys off is just wasting time."

"What about you?" Naruto asked.

"We can take care of these guys," said Kakashi. "You and Xela get in there and find Hinata."

"Right," said Naruto. "Xela, let's go!"

"Got it!" said Xela.

Naruto and Xela raced through the battle field, evading weaponry going through the air and sending a few ninja to the side as they headed for the castle. After about five minutes of dodging shuriken, kunai, arrows, cannon balls, jutsus, and thrown bodies, they made it to the double doors of the castle. They tried to open them, but they were locked.

"They won't budge," said Naruto. "I'll try using a jutsu and-"

"Hold on, Naruto," said Xela as he observed the door closely. "I think I know the trick to this door."

"What? What's the trick?"

Xela merely knocked softly on the door and kicked it with a round house kick. Next moment, a portion of the door the size of a regular door opened, as a door, for them.

"What kind of a door is this?" asked Naruto, staring dumbfounded at it. "How'd you know of the door?"

"Old trick I used to play on my friends and my kids," said Xela.

"You have kids?"

"Yes, I do. Let's get going, Naruto. We've wasted enough time as it is."

"Yeah, let's go."

They ran inside, careful to stay in the shadows so as to avoid being seen. The foyer was huge, 50 yards by 50 yards by 50 yards big. The walls were dark blue. On one wall were so many paintings and portraits that you could barely see any part of the wall. The other wall was a huge mirror, going on and on throughout the room. In the corners and at the center of the room were statues of people, warriors with huge swords, axes, or other weapons. Hanging on the top of the wall with the pictures were human and animal heads on plaques. This scared Naruto and Xela.

"What kind of person hangs someone's head on the wall?" asked Naruto, looking away from the heads.

"A hunter," said a dark voice that echoed all around the room.

One of the center statues, a man in dark green with two hunting knives as long as Naruto's arms in each hand, came to life. Strapped to his back were a huge sword, a crossbow, a quiver with bolts, and a huge shuriken.

"And you are?" asked Xela as he readied his sword.

"I am the Hunter. I am a rouge ninja from the Hidden Wind Village. Emperor Dokueki promised me prey if I helped him. I love hunting prey. You two are the newest ones."

"If you think you can defeat us and cut off our heads as trophies, think again," said Naruto as he took out a kunai.

"Ah, I've heard of you. You're the host for the Nine Tailed Fox. I've always wanted to defeat and kill a demon holder. Please, don't die too soon."

"I'm not dying, you idiot! _Cough, cough!_"

He coughed into his hand. As he looked at it, he got scared. On his hand was blood mixed with spit. Xela noticed this and was horrified.

"Oh, crap!! That cancer is starting up!"

"IT'S WHAT?!!!"

_Meanwhile, where Hinata was…_

Hinata looked out the window, suddenly coughing. As she looked at her hand, she became horrified.

"B-blood?"

**To be continued…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

"Earth Style: Pit Spike Trap Jutsu!"

The Hunter unleashed a Jutsu that created stone spikes that shot out of the ground and flew out through the air. Naruto and Xela barely dodged the spikes as they came at them. As the duo landed, the ground underneath them gave in and made them fall into a spiked pit. Had it not been for Xela stabbing his sword into one of the walls of the pit, via blade elongation jutsu, and grabbing Naruto, the two of them would have been skewered to death.

"Close call," said Naruto as he held onto Xela's hand tightly so as to stay alive. "Thanks, Xela."

"No problem," said Xela. "Let's get this guy once and for all."

"You've got it!"

Xela threw Naruto into the air, Naruto soaring like a missile at the Hunter, as he made hand signs.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Instantly, about a hundred or so shadow clones appeared, all of them with a kunai out. The Hunter just smirked and spun like a top, senbon shooting from his spinning body at all of the Naruto's. The shower of senbon made all of the shadow clones disappear and pushed the real Naruto onto the ground. Naruto was now covered all over with senbon sticking into his body.

"Not again!! I HATE SENBON!!!"

"Well, then you're not going to like these next senbon," said the Hunter. "These are dipped in a special paralyzing poison. Just like my last prey, you didn't last long. Goodbye, Jinchuriki."

He threw hundreds of senbon at Naruto. Naruto threw multiple shuriken at them, but he was only able to stop a few of them. Just before they could even touch Naruto's body, however, a tornado of dust and rocks shot out in front of Naruto and, sucking up all of the senbon, threw them to the walls. Next, the tornado went at the Hunter. The Hunter tried to dodge it, but it kept chasing him until it hit him and pummeled him with the rocks. As it dissipated, the Hunter dropped to the ground, battered and wounded.

"What in the world?" the Hunter asked. "What was that?!"

"Wind and Rock Style," said Xela, who was standing behind Naruto. "Rock Tornado. One of my favorite jutsus."

"Oh? It seems that you're more resourceful than I anticipated," said the Hunter, chuckling as he got up. "This should be fun."

Naruto coughed blood again.

"It's too bad that you won't last for long, boy."

_He's right _thought Xela as he looked to Naruto for a moment. _The cancer is starting to kick in. Despite the power its given Naruto, the effects of the gas are starting to take their toll. Given time, he'll be left useless. The Nine Tailed Fox's healing factor should be able to slow the cancer down, but it can't cure him completely…at least, not on its own. I have the antidote, but Naruto's too stubborn to take it. In either case, that shouldn't be a problem for now. Our only problem is defeating this guy. He mainly uses Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. His jutsus are mostly wind and rock styles, and they're mostly offensive jutsus. He keeps his guard up by using a force field that we can't see. Because of his need for oxygen, he either has a force field that has air holes in it or a force field that he has to constantly deactivate to let in oxygen. I can't see it, even with my other Kekkei Genkai. That throws about two-hundred fifty-six options out the window and leaves only four. Because I don't know what kind of force field he has or where its weak points are, that only leaves one option: Dark and Light Chakra. This is gonna be one pain in the ass…and in the head._

Xela made a single hand sign and closed his eyes in concentration.

"Xela?" asked Naruto. "What are you doing?"

"Ninja art: Chakra of Light and Darkness!"

He became completely engulfed in both white and black chakra. As he opened his eyes, Naruto saw that they changed. Xela's left eye was a black slit surrounded in white, while his right eye was a white slit surrounded in black. As Xela lowered his hands to his sides and clenched them into fists, his right hand became surrounded in white chakra and his left hand in black chakra.

"Oh, I've heard of you," said the Hunter, now smiling. "You're the famous Yin-Yan ANBU Shinobi. You, along with the Hokage and the Jinchuriki, are on the top of the bounty list."

"Bounty list?" asked Naruto and Xela.

"There are people who would gladly have the heads of certain people, like you two. One of the people who are asking for your heads is Emperor Dokueki. I'd like to have the money for your deaths, but I mostly do it for the hunt. Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm. I'm going to enjoy this hunt."

_This guy is full of himself_ thought Naruto. _Okay, my turn for some action!_

He made a hand sign and summoned the now-pink chakra of the Nine Tailed Fox.

"Naruto, no!" cried out Xela. "That may speed up the cancer!"

"Like I care about some stupid cancer?!" exclaimed Naruto as he charged at the Hunter.

"Idiot," said the Hunter as he made a single hand sign. "Secret Jutsu: Rose Net."

Suddenly, millions of roses of every color bloomed through the floor and shot out some of their petals. Naruto stopped as he looked around him.

"Flower petals?" asked Naruto. "Hey…that smell…it's making me…dizzy…"

He began to sway to and fro, becoming dizzy as he tried to shake off the dizziness. The petals became connected with each other by shooting chakra strings at each other, forming a net of chakra and rose petals. It wrapped around Naruto, who was still swaying to and fro from the dizziness.

"That takes care of him," said the Hunter. "Once you're caught in the net, there's no escaping from it."

"I don't think so," said Naruto, closing his eyes in concentration so as to get rid of the dizziness. "RAAAAAAAAH!!"

His pink chakra exploded in power, ripping through the net and getting rid of the fragrance.

"Impossible!!" cried out the Hunter. "No one can destroy the Rose Net!"

"Looks like you really need to improve on it," said Xela, now standing behind the Hunter.

"What?!" exclaimed the Hunter as he looked behind him at Xela, now scared and stressed.

Xela disappeared and reappeared in front of the Hunter. He punched him in the stomach with his dark chakra hand. After that, he punched him in the face with his light chakra hand. Soon, he was pummeling him with both light and dark chakra. After about thirty seconds, he flip kicked him into the air. Following after him, he began to pummel him. This time, however, the punches and kicks exploded on the Hunter. Soon, Xela threw him straight at Naruto, who punched him straight into a wall with enough force to create a crater with a seven ft diameter. The Hunter fell onto his face, now down for the count.

"That was tough," said Xela as his light and dark chakra disappeared, Xela now breathing hard.

"No kidding," said Naruto as his chakra disappeared, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth. "Let's keep moving."

"You got it, Naruto."

They ran up the stairs, searching for Hinata.

**To be continued…**


	14. Chapter 14

"Listen up!" commanded the squad leader of the troops in the castle foyer. "There are about two intruders in this castle. Our orders are to eliminate them, no questions asked. MOVE OUT!"

"Sir, yes sir!" cried out the squad as they all left and split up to find the intruders.

Once all of them left the foyer, two plants in huge pots next to the wall lifted up from the pot, revealing Xela and Naruto, both in their normal states (Xela still looked like a teenage ANBU).

"Phew," whispered Xela as he silently got out. "That was a close call."

"No kidding," said Naruto as he got out, scratching his arms and legs. "That soil made my skin itchy."

"You'll get over it," said Xela. "C'mon, we've got to find Hinata."

They rushed towards a set of stairs that led to the second floor of the foyer. Once they reached the top of the stairs, something occurred to Naruto, causing him to stop.

"Hold on," he said to Xela. "I think I've been here before?"

"Excuse me?" asked Xela, concern on his face.

"I don't mean as a whole…but…that's it!"

"What's it?"

"I've been here in a dream. I remember everything in it, and it showed that hallway over there."

He pointed to a hallway that indeed matched the hallway that Naruto went through in his dream, matching it chandelier for chandelier, window for window, door for door, and wall design for wall design.

"Are you're sure, Naruto?"

"I'm positive!"

"Okay, then…lead the way."

Naruto ran forward and led Xela through the hallway. He remembered every door and other detail of the dream as he saw them while running down the hallway. Soon, he stopped Xela and told him to be quiet. The two ninja leaned against the wall as they listened for a sound.

"So, how's our guest, Rika?" asked the voice of Jintai, coming from the nearby table just outside of the hallway.

"She's still stubborn," said Rika's voice. "She's able to resist and undo all of the genjutsu and mind manipulating justu that I tried to use."

Naruto pointed to a nearby mirror for Xela, which showed the girls' reflections.

"She's got a strong mind and strong will," said Jintai. "Got any other ideas?"

"I _can_ bring in that other kid…Kiba, I think…and threaten to kill him in front of her," said Rika.

"That may work. Her room is the one with the slash marks on the door, right?"

"That's the one."

Naruto silently motioned to Xela to follow him. They silently rushed through the hallway, searching for the slashed-up door.

"It should be around here," said Naruto.

"There!" said Xela as he pointed to it.

They stopped in front of it, looking upon it and ready to go through.

"Let's go," said Xela as he reached for the door.

"Wait," said Naruto as he grabbed Xela's hand. "In my dream, the door flooded the whole area in blinding light and made the floor disappear. I fell downward, screaming out for Hinata. It all started from touching that door knob."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'll open it," said Naruto. "You better be prepared to undo it if it's a Genjutsu."

"Right," said Xela as he prepared a hand sign. "Go ahead."

Naruto grabbed the door knob. Just as it happened in the dream, the slash marks gave off blinding light that blocked out everything except for the two ninja. They both fell through where the floor was earlier, falling through the endless light.

"XELA, DO IT NOW!!" cried out Naruto.

"KAI, RELEASE!!" cried out Xela.

Instantly, the light faded away, revealing a dimly-lit stony room. Apparently, they were falling from about 20 ft in the air and were about to have a hard landing on the stone floor.

"WHAT THE -"

BAM!!!

Naruto was interrupted by his head-first landing onto the stone floor. Xela, however, landed gracefully and lightly on his feet and was already standing.

"Ouch," said Xela as he looked upon Naruto's body. "You okay, Naruto?"

"Ow…ow…I'm okay," said Naruto as he got up, holding his head as it throbbed in pain.

"You remember this being in the dream, Naruto?"

"Nope," he said as he looked around. "I guess that we're in a cave."

"It must be a prison, judging from the broken hinges on the walls and the torches, not to mention that prison gate over there and –"

"Shh, listen," said Naruto.

"Ugh," moaned a familiar voice from nearby. "Who's there?"

"That voice…is it… c'mon, Xela!"

Xela followed Naruto down the dark pathway. He saw a figure chained to the wall of the dead end. As they got to it, Naruto and Xela realized who it is.

"Kiba?" they both asked.

"Huh?" he said weakly as he looked up. "Naruto…Xela…what are you…"

He suddenly looked worried and very alert.

"Get out of here! They're coming for you!"

"Huh?" asked Naruto.

"Who's coming for us?" asked Xela.

In the shadows behind Naruto and Xela, a set of three dark yellow eyes appeared, looking at Xela and Naruto maliciously…

**To be continued…**


	15. Chapter 15

Part 15 (if you read some of the first few chapters, you'll understand some of what happens in this chapter)

**Part 15 (if you read some of the first few chapters, you'll understand some of what happens in this chapter)**

"Kiba, we have to get you out of here," said Xela as he attempted to get Kiba out of his chains. "Just hold-"

"Xela, Naruto! Behind you!" yelled Kiba.

Xela and Naruto looked behind themselves. There in the dark were three pairs of dark-yellow eyes staring at them. Naruto took out a kunai and Xela took out his sword.

"Who are you guys?!" asked Naruto. "Did you do this to Kiba?!"

There was no response. The eyes just stared at them emotionlessly and cold.

"Answer me, damn it!" exclaimed Naruto.

As if in response, a strong breeze blew through the cave, going towards whatever owned those eyes. A cold breeze that somehow drained a little bit of their emotions from them…except despair, sadness, and gloom.

"What was that?" asked Naruto. "I feel…a little depressed, now."

"I've been going through this ever since I got put here," said Kiba.

"No…not these things," Xela said fearfully. "Not again..."

"Again?" asked Naruto, now curious. "What do you mean by -"

Another breeze picked up, and Naruto's curiosity was drained away.

"My curiosity…is gone."

"These things do that to you," he said as he took out a medallion. "They drain away almost all of your emotions…except those of sadness and fear."

"What are they?!" Naruto asked fearfully.

"Demons of the darkness," said Xela. "These creatures have no set name, but they've been mentioned in mythology and tribal stories. Although each story says something different, two things are clear: they're ancient and very dangerous."

"How could they be dangerous if they only suck up most of our emotions?" asked Naruto.

"If they keep sucking out your other emotions, they'll eventually begin to suck out your chakra, which then leads to sucking out your life force."

"Our life force?!" exclaimed Kiba. "How do we get rid of them?"

"There's only one way," said Xela as he took out a paper seal, a piece of cloth, and a small stone with strange markings on it. "Kiba, hold this stone with your teeth."

"What?" Kiba asked.

"Just do it."

Kiba nodded and held the stone in his teeth, while Xela had Naruto hold the paper seal in front of the stone. Xela lit the cloth he held on fire with a minor fire jutsu and held the flame in front of the seal. Instantly, the stone's markings shone bright light. This light shone through the seal and activated it. The seal then amplified the light of the flame so that both showed what the creatures looked like – rotting corpses with pieces of flesh hanging off, wearing tattered cloaks and floating in the air – and that put these demons in pain. In a matter of seconds, the demons disintegrated and became no more.

"Whoa," said Naruto as he saw what happened. "Why did they fade away?"

"That seal you're holding turns any light shining in front of it into holy light," said Xela as he put out the cloth and left it on the ground, also taking the stone from Kiba's mouth. "But it only works if you have a stone of activation."

"I see. _Cough, cough!_"

Again, Naruto began to cough up blood.

"What the?!" exclaimed Kiba. "Naruto, what the heck is happening to you?!"

"Damn cancer is killing me," said Naruto as he wiped away blood from his mouth. "It's a long story, so don't ask."

"We better get going," said Xela as he pulled his face mask back on and ripped off the chains that held Kiba to the wall, Kiba now back on his feet.

"You mean to tell me that you could have just ripped those chains off of me from the start?"

"I was distracted by those demons, remember?"

"Enough with the talking!" yelled Naruto. "Let's just find Hinata!"

"You're not going anywhere," said another voice.

The three shinobi turned towards the source of the voice. Standing nearby was a man in a dark, hooded robe. He had dark skin and long, blonde hair.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto as he took out a kunai.

"Were you the one who summoned the demons from earlier?" asked Xela.

"Yes, I am. The emperor doesn't like it when prisoners escape. I'm not going to let you – _whoa!"_

He ended up falling forward and landing on his face, dropping a lot of hidden stuff, like books, pencils, paper seals, kunai, and other stuff. The one that came nearest to them was a small book. Xela noticed this and, taking advantage of the robed man picking up his stuff, nudged both Naruto and Kiba and pointed to the book: Make-out Paradise, issue number 3. An idea forming in his head, Naruto took out the present that Kakashi gave to him – still wrapped up – and silently opened it…

"What's this?" Xela asked casually as he picked up the Make-out Paradise book that the man dropped.

"Give me that!" yelled the man as he took it back and hid it in his robe. "Kids like you shouldn't be reading that stuff. Now, where were we? Ah, yes."

From out of nowhere, two double-bladed swords appeared in both hands, each surrounded by blue chakra.

"TIME TO DIE!"

As soon as he charged forward, however, Naruto put a small book in front of the man, stopping him in his tracks.

"Th…this is -"

"Make-out Paradise," said Naruto, smirking. "Volume one."

The man dropped both swords and fell to his knees.

"I've been searching for this book for most of my adult life," he said in awe, still staring at the book. "I…I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING FOR THAT BOOK!!"

"Will you let us go?" asked Kiba.

"Yes! Just give me the book!"

"Done," said Naruto as he gave him the book.

"AT LONG LAST, MY COLLECTION IS COMPLETE!!"

The robed man took his book, sat in a corner, and began to read it enthusiastically.

"Let's find Hinata before he finishes that book," whispered Naruto.

"Before we do that, we should find a way out of here," whispered Xela. "I say that we drill a hole straight up through the ceiling and search for Hinata's room."

"Kiba, can you do it?" asked Naruto.

"I don't think that I have enough chakra," he said. "Those demons from earlier drained me of my chakra and took away my soldier pills. I can't use jutsu yet."

"Then you both better hold on to me," said Xela as he began to make some hand signs. "Now."

Just before Xela completed his jutsu, Kiba and Naruto took hold of him.

"Wind and Rock style: Drilling Tornado!!"

Xela, Naruto, and Kiba began to spin extremely fast as they broke through the ceiling and kept going.

"Taaake it eeeeeeeaaaasy, Xelaaaaaaaaaa!" yelled Naruto as they kept spinning.

BOOOM!!

They broke through another floor and stopped spinning, now standing in another room. While Xela and Kiba stood calmly, Naruto swayed to and fro as he tried to keep is balance. Unfortunately, he failed and fell onto the floor.

"Next time, let's take the stairs," Naruto said dizzily.

"Naruto-kun!" yelled a familiar voice as a white blur with blue hair ran to him and hugged him.

This got Naruto out of being dizzy.

"Hinata!" he said, hugging her back. "Are you okay?!"

"I am now, Naruto-kun."

_**To be continued…**_


	16. Chapter 16

Part 16

**Part 16**

"Did they do anything to you?" asked Naruto as he looked at Hinata when they let go of each other.

"I don't think so," said Hinata. "What about you three? Are you okay?"

"We're fine," said Naruto, smiling his usual smile.

"If you count having the cancer reach the next stage of infliction as being okay," said Xela.

This earned him a hit to the head from Naruto.

"What?!" exclaimed Hinata.

"It's not that –"

"Naruto-kun," begged Hinata. "Please, don't hide these things from me. I want you to be honest with me. If you hide it all from me…it will just give me more reason to worry about you."

"Hinata…I'm sorry…I didn't – "

"Hello?" said Xela. "Hate to interrupt, but we need to get out of here, pronto!"

"Right!" said Naruto. "So, where to?"

"You tell me," said Xela. "Unless you want to follow your nose or…wait a minute."

Xela turned to Kiba.

"Don't you have a sense of smell as strong as a dog's?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Kiba.

"I left something at the entrance of this castle. If you follow my scent on it, we can get out of here."

"I'll need to have my chakra restored, first. I'm not useful if I get attacked."

"Right," said Xela as he took out both a leaf and a pill. "Here, take these. The pill is a chakra pill that will restore your chakra, and the leaf will help make the chakra last longer. Mind you, the leaf is extremely bitter."

"I don't really care about that," said Kiba.

Kiba took the pill and the leaf and put them into his mouth. Instantly, he cringed and made a face as he tasted the two substances. He chewed them with reluctance and disgust, swallowing after a while.

"On second thought, I do care about that."

"How do you feel?" asked Naruto.

"Better, thanks," said Kiba. "Now, let's get out of here."

Kiba began to sniff the air, turning in different directions a few times. Soon, he found the scent and took off. Xela, Hinata, and Naruto followed him. They went through many corridors and rooms, took many turns, and opened many doors. Along the way, they had to hide in the shadows and among other objects in the rooms. Soon, they found the entrance. Tied to one of the plants next to it was a piece of cloth.

"Told you I left something here," said Xela as they raced to the door. "Just a few more–"

Suddenly, bars sprung up from underneath the ground and made a perimeter around the door, preventing the four shinobi from getting to the door. These bars rose up all the way to the ceiling. After that, a lot of guards came out of hidden doors in the entrance hall, surrounding the group with weapons pointed at them.

"What just happened?" asked Naruto, one of his kunai in his hand.

"It was a trap," said Xela, his sword out and at the ready. "That's why it was easier than I anticipated."

"You must be getting senile, then," said a voice that echoed from a nearby balcony.

Everyone looked up at the balcony. Standing there was a man who looked like he was about eighteen years old. He had red hair that went down to his shoulders, pale skin, red clothes of royalty and a black cape, and a wicked sneer on his face. But above all, he had an electric blue left eye and a sea green right eye.

"You," said Xela as he looked upon the man. "I knew it, yet I didn't want to believe it."

"It's true," said the man, still sneering.

"Who are you?!" demanded Naruto.

"Can't you guess? I am Emperor Dokueki."

"So you're the one who ordered the kidnapping of Hinata," growled Naruto, a menacing look in his eyes. "You're gonna pay for kidnapping her!"

"Easy, Naruto," Emperor Dokueki said, still sneering. "You don't want to speed up the cancer. Right, Xela?"

"You knew…I knew it."

"Aren't you getting too old for this? I'm surprised that you haven't died of old age already."

"I could say the same for you. That young complexion is just a get-up."

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Naruto. "So he's really –"

"Stay out of this, Naruto!" demanded Emperor Dokueki. "This is between family."

"Family?!" exclaimed Naruto and Kiba. "What's he talking about, Xela?"

Xela took a deep breath and explained.

"Emperor Dokueki…his real name is Shinku…and he is my son."

**To be continued…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Part 17** (This is going towards the story behind Xela and Emperor Dokueki/Shinku)

"He's…your son?" asked Hinata.

"No way," said Naruto, staring in shock at Xela. "So all this time…we've been with the father of the one who kidnapped Hinata. Why didn't you tell us?"

"That's not exactly something I'm very fond of telling people," said Xela, still looking Shinku in the eye with a hard expression.

"Is it ever?" Emperor Dokueki/Shinku asked with a sneer. "Why don't you tell them what happened, Dad? Give them a good story. We're not going anywhere, and we have time to spare."

"I'd rather not," said Xela.

"Too bad."

Shinku snapped his fingers, and about twenty blades went closer to the group.

"I'd tell it if I were you, old man."

Xela glared at Shinku before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Fine," he said. "This is how it started…"

**To be continued…**

(I know that it's short, but it just doesn't feel right to put a memory story into the same chapter as this one.)


End file.
